These data are consistent with what has emerged from the analysis of environmentalist militancy.
Those filling the highest positions in groups engaged in this kind of activity are not only highly educated and in the broadest sense members of the middle class, but also bring specific competences to bear on the work of the group. The case of environmentalism and, more generally, of new movements analyzed by Kriesi, shows both the continuity and the discontinuity in the relationship between the educated middle classes and political participation. The central position of intellectual groups in collective action a constant trait in modern society has not been challenged by recent developments. At the same time, however, the competences and the overall profile of the middle-class activists seem to adapt themselves to what is at stake in “new” conflicts.